This was before I even had a name for her species, so I’ve done a lot more thinking on them since then. This race is called the B’eshuul (pronounced bay-shool), and they are the most unique Alecani race. They are the only ones who cannot fly, are adapted to life in water, and the only ones who have non-naturalist colors in their fur (bright stuff like blue and green). I will someday flesh out ALL the Alecani races more fully, but this one has been on my mind lately. Here’s some more in depth information! Maybe more to come at some point, but for now this is what I’ve got.

Myth and History
Many thousands of years ago the B’eshuul were considered a myth by land dwelling Alecani, because they were an extremely secretive people. They branched off from other Alecani genetically early enough that pairings between themselves and other Alecani don’t always result in offspring. They would be considered a subspecies by human scientists, but culturally the B’eshuul and the rest of the Alecani have long since integrated happily. They are not considered to be another species, they are Alecani brothers like any other race! But not after a long tumultuous war. The tribal wars of the Alecani are more complex than land vs sea, but it was the Be’shuul who were the last to give up their warring ways to join the overarching Alecani alliance. Still, that was hundreds of years before Nym’s time.

Physical traits
Physically, they are slightly bigger than most Alecani. Their wings have evolved along the same lines of penguin wings, which they use to propel themselves through the water at up to 40 mph. At slower speeds they move more like otters, using their webbed rear feet as their main mode of propulsion. Their tail feathers have evolved into secondary fin-like structures with which to guide their swimming, and their tails are thick and rudder-like much like an otter. Their ears are short compared to other Alecani, and a little less expressive as smaller stiffer triangles. They can close their nostrils and ears, and can hold their breath for up to an hour, even under considerable athletic stress. Both the feet and hands are webbed, and tipped with sharp curved talons used for fishing. The rear dew claw found on all Alecani isn’t connected by webbing, and is used as a weapon in battle.

They are the only Alecani with natural bright colors in their coat! They have a set of two-toned stripes on the neck and thighs that can be any analogous color pair from purple/pink to yellow/green. Their eyes are always darker versions of whatever their stripe color is. Most of them have dominantly black and white fur/feathers, but a smaller portion of them have developed a reddish brown color, sometimes accompanied by dark pink skin. This coloration is about as rare as red hair is in the human population. Even more rare would be a blonde B’eshuul, with pale dusty gold in place of the brown/black, but they are born every once in a while.

Culture
Culturally, they are somewhat different than land dwelling Alecani. They are among the most martial of the Alecani, skilled warriors in the water and on land. A B’eshuul warrior is stronger than the average Alecani, trained from a very young age, merciless, but follows a strict warrior’s code. For those of your familiar with Star Trek, think Clingons minus the love for bloodwine! They also believe that the killing of another sentient species for food, under the right circumstances, is acceptable. Many tribes of B’eshuul hunt a single whale once every five years. It’s an enormous honor to be part of the whale hunt, and they consider the prey to be sacred. Most of the time, the hunted whale is an elderly individual who voluntarily gives itself up for the hunt. Most whale species and B’eshuul have had this understanding for longer than Alecani recorded history. However, sometimes the whale is not a willing participant. In these cases, the B’eshuul are required to give one of their members up to the surviving family members of the hunted whale, with varying results. Sometimes they are killed, sometimes they are taken in as servants or companions, or even rejected entirely as an offering and returned alive to their group.

B’eshuul are less likely to form large groups and build villages than other Alecani, preferring more of a wandering life style. The only times they become more sedentary as a group is after a whale hunt, during which mated pairs have kits. What the whale hunt provides allows them to raise kits in relative stability for the first few years of their life, after which the extremely young kits are expected to join the adults in migratory lifestyle. This is also the time at which a young B’eshuul starts their warrior training in earnest. Childhood is short for the B’eshuul, but they seem to derive joy from their warrior life style. So it could be argued that the early years of warrior training, while harsh, are still enjoyable and fun for a young B’eshuul.

A quick bust sketch of Nyms mother, Karu! Karu is the villages head healer, having worked her way up from apprenticeship when she was very young. She has worked hard to get where she is today, having encountered a lot of resistance for some of her newer ideas about healing. Now, many of her techniques are practiced widely across the Alecani occupied lands and she is greatly respected. From her, Nym has learned what it means to work hard for something even in the face of great resistance. The healing skills Nym picked up from her mom have come in handy in the field on many of her delivery runs too!

Fire light flickered across the rock face, illuminating the swirling carvings. The bonfire was huge, stacked high with dead timber and wild with an energy only the fuel of shed feathers could provide. The light inside the fire pit competed with the setting sun as it lit the sky with brilliant oranges and pink. The pit, a natural deep depression in the land, hosted the fire which was being tended by a half dozen Alecani. High stone walls protected outside village from most stray embers, and the surrounding rock had natural platforms that had been worn with ages of use. This fire pit had been host to hundreds of Tahn festivals. As the sun went down, more and more Alecani showed up, filling the platforms with tables of food and drink, setting up instruments, even a few dancers and performers starting early. A ribbon dancer shared ribbons with a few kits and proceeded to keep their attention while their parents helped to set up. Everyone was ready to celebrate a bountiful harvest, and to have one last feast before the winter took over.

More than that, the Tahn festival was about renewal. This time of year all Alecani across the continent shed their summer fur and grow a new coat for the change of season. In this high village, winter blankets the canyons and twisted pines in thick white snow. Here, they also molt their feathers in the autumn, and each native Alecani casts off their summer color to match the coming winter landscape. The shed feathers are burned to symbolize burning their old selves and old problems, starting anew. The initial fire is an enormous thing, but after the festival it's kept alight through the cold winter. During the cold months the fire pit serves as a place for everyone to stop by and warm their bones, locals and travelers alike.

Nym hadn't put hers into the fire yet, she sat with a hand on the basket filled with her shed summer feathers and fur. All her winter feathers had grown in a creamy white, but she was still shedding clumps of red-brown fur. Patches of her winter coat came through, giving her a piebald look. Many of the other villagers looked the same, few had their full winter coat in yet. She started to pick at a patch of un-shed summer fur, then quickly stopped remembering the many scoldings from her parents as a kit. A few of the summer feathers she kept, some tied into her fur. In the winter the summer colors nicely accent the paleness of an Alecani's coat.

The colors in the sky deepened into purples and reds, and somewhere in the pit a flute player started an easy going tune. More and more Alecani showed up with baskets of their sheddings, chatting and passing tea around. An older, slender female Alecani offered Nym a cup of spiced orange tea. She was known for her uncanny ability to cultivate citris in an area where it didn't thrive naturally. She had never had any kits of her own, but her niece had taken up a keen interest in the cultivation of the citris plants. The young kit could be seen a few platforms away passing out samples of the tea. So, the family secret would be passed on after all, Nym thought. She accepted the cup graciously, and inhaled deeply. This year's blend smelled amazing! The zing of the orange and heat of the spice started to wake her up, her fur prickled. The Autumn molting festival was always incredibly fun, the energy high among the villagers. With the sun setting, and the stars starting to come out.

FWOOSH! The fire sparked and roiled, and hoots of excitement could be heard across the pit. Someone had dived in and dumped almost half their sheddings into the fire, causing it to rise suddenly. A jaunty drum beat started up, the flute player picked up his tune, yips of joy mingling in. Nym whooped once, spilling some of her tea. A small pang of regret made her sit back down and carefully enjoy the rest of the seasonal tea, which she knew had limited supplies.

"Haha, getting a little too excited there?" Fallyn, Nym's brother approached with his basket of sheddings and sat down. Nym grumbled a little, but it wasn't genuine annoyance. Even though they were no longer kits, Nym and her brother still sometimes behaved immaturely around one another. "I see you have some of Sela's orange tea? Where can I get some, I think I missed her passing it out."

"You can have the rest of mine," she offered the half drained cup to her brother, which he accepted and sipped at. The ribbon dancer who had been occupying the young kits had been joined by two other dancers, and the youngsters had been ushered to the children's platform. They were small enough that their flight feathers hadn't grown in yet, and they needed a lot of supervision. But the Tahn festival was for everyone in the village, even the small ones. When they were old enough to fly, they would be able to throw in their sheddings to the fire by themselves.

One more Alecani swooped in and tossed a handful of their sheddings in, followed by another, and then another. The music had picked up, and Nym found herself itching to get into the sky. "C'mon, before it gets too crowded!" She tugged at her brother's wing. He shot her a nasty look mid-gulp, finishing off the last of the tea with a smack of his lips.

"Aaah, good stuff!" He stood up, patted his stomach and puffed his chest up, looking up to the fire with a grin. Without warning he shot up into the night sky, leaving Nym behind.

"Hey!" She shouted and sprung after him, "You forgot to return your cup, you jerk!"

The air was filled with Alecani of all ages, carrying their shed baskets. Some circled more calmly, throwing handfuls of fur and feathers in far from the dangerous heat of the flames. The young and daring dove as close to the fire as they could, and zipping away before the sparks from their thrown sheddings could touch them. Nym wasn't a kit any more, she no longer struggled to keep up with her big brother. With a few powerful strokes of her wings she caught up with him easily, dodging a youngster who wasn't watching before reaching him. Clearly he expected to have left her far behind, the shock on his face when she passed him and snagged a single feather from his basket gave Nym a smug sense of satisfaction.

Nym climbed higher than the crowd started to circle and survayed the scene below. Fallyn joined her and tried to snatch his feather back from her, but she rolled away yelling, "this one's mine, brother!" fierce joy filling her voice. She tucked her wings and dropped, the hot air of the fire rushing up at her. The same youngster Nym had to dodge earlier had to brake to avoid a collision, as she let gravity carry her into the crowd and closer to the flames. She heard Fallyn call in alarm behind her, genuine worry behind his voice. She grasped the stolen feather in her hand tightly, flared her wings and changed direction. Leveling out, allowing the flames lick at her belly as she dragged the feather through the inferno, the speed of her dive carried her too quickly to allow the flames to hurt her. The feather ignited at it's tip, she pulled away, curving up at a sharp angle to avoid colliding with the rock wall. With a few more pumps her her wings she was almost as high as she was before, letting the heat of the fire carry her up. Almost level with Fallyn, she let out a bellow of victory and let the feather burn down to her upheld paw, leaving ashes in the air. Her call was answered by cries and cheers from the crowd, all ecstatic about her stunt. She glided unscathed, back into a circling pattern.

Her brother approached, "Gods, you had me worried! Where did you learn how to do THAT one?"

Memories of meeting a young messenger by the name of Chickadee breezed over her conciousness. "I pick up a lot more than stories and supplies in my job, Fal" she said, panting and smiling. She shook her paw, the heat from the fire had singed her a little.

"You're not invincible I see," Fallyn said smugly.

"And you're too slow to keep your little sister from making your first burn of the night for you?" Nym was cut off by her brother snatching a handful of feathers from her basket and flapping away. "You still haven't returned your cup!" she called, and gave chase.

The smells of autumn foods and the orange spice tea wafted through the air, the fire raged on, and the excitement continued under the now starry night sky. The Tahn festival was going to be full of great stories to tell this winter.

**Note, the scene in the image is sans all the festival attendees, just scribbled it out to get an idea of the setting. With one Alecani in there for scale.

Nym looked out across the red stone of her homeland perched at the top of a tall arch that overlooked the series of winding rivers that had carved these canyons eons ago. The morning chill ran through her fur despite the lack of wind. She had woken up long before dawn and tried not to let her claws click on the floor as she grabbed a few hardboiled eggs, and snuck out leaving her family to sleep. The respite in her home village had been wonderful, sleeping in her old bed chamber for the last week had been a great comfort. A note had been left on the kitchen counter, so her mother wouldn't worry. Mother always worried. That thought made a warm grin spread across Nym's face. Now she sat in the cool blue of first light and enjoyed a small cup of cold tea as she waited for her partner. Her mission for the day wouldn't allow for carrying the stone pot and other equipment for hot tea, but she didn't mind. The temperature allowed the Ceylon to take on a different flavor, a crispness that woke her up faster. She shivered slightly, a pleasant sensation.

She relished these quiet mornings, before anyone else woke up. The morning brought with it a freshness that washed away the previous day's worries. A whole new day with brand new unknowable events. One more night lay between yourself and the problems of the past, and one more day ahead to heal those wounds. She gulped the last of her tea, getting the remaining dust and pieces of leaves that the steeper didn't catch. The small black cup wasn't her usual vessel for tea, which was a large lime green mug with a wide brim and a pleasantly smooth surface. This one was a small black ceramic cylinder with a stony texture to it, of which she had dozens at home. So it was ok if this one broke, which it likely would on today's mission....

Nym barely heard Usi until he landed next to her, folding his wings silently and greeting her with a small paw on her shoulder. Nym was amazed at how quiet he was. Perhaps his heritage as a Noc'Dimali aided in that. The Noc had always loved the night more than other Alecani, their people had adapted to living in darkness and hunting in darkness. Their feathers had a soft edge to them, like an owl's, which muffled the wooshing sound of their wings through the air. But Usi was quieter than that. Usi moved like smoke through the air, silent and deliberate, seemingly at the whim of the breeze, unearthly and unheard. Which was probably why he'd been chosen as one of The Harp's guards.

"Pleasant morning, isn't it?" Usi breathed deeply and watched the eastern horizon with Nym, not bothering to sit down with her.

"You're getting rusty, Usi. I heard you almost a meter before you touched down," Nym chided as she grabbed at his ear playfully.

"Tcha! You just have freakish hearing for a stone dog," he retorted with a involuntary grin. "do I smell eggs?"

"Yep, I brought two. Want one?"

She handed him one of the eggs she brought, and Usi sat down and bit into it. Pleasant munching noises ensued, and the overall silence of the morning took over again. A nocturnal bird called out it's goodnight trill, and the sun peeked over the horizon as a brilliant sliver. Usi took that as a queue.

"Can't sit around eating eggs all day. Are you ready?"

Butterflies flittered in Nym's stomach briefly, but she shook and stood up, dismissing the feeling. "Ready Sir!" she mumbled around the last bite of egg in her mouth.

"Don't call me sir, stone dog," he said with a sideways grin, which vanished in a moment, "and steel yourself. The first day is always the hardest."

Nym gulped down the egg, and looked at him seriously.

"I don't mean to scare you, but I can't lie about the difficulties ahead. There is a reason The Shadow recommended you, though. I've known you for long enough to know he's right. Have faith in yourself, Nym! This will be fun." He gave her a dark mischievous look.

Nym nodded and grabbed her small pack. The pair leaped off the stone arch and headed north east. The nocturnal bird trilled one more time. Nym's stone cup sat in the edge forgotten. A new day, with new challenges....

Took some time to create initial write-ups for new characters in Nym's world, though they have yet to be drawn! I also think I came up with a name for The Harp's primary guard; Merok. Still thinking on it though.

Chickadee (permanent name pending)

Chickadee is a male Alecani of a cliff dwelling tribe, smaller in size to Nym's tribe. His markings will be similar to a chickadee and a peregrine falcon combined, and he's built for speed! Small, light, and daring, Chickadee is a real adrenaline junkie. He takes a storm as a challenge, and rides out into the sky during conditions that would kill any other Alecani. It's actually a wonder he hasn't been killed yet!

Because of his daring and his love for speed, his job is messenger. He's one of the best, and often gets hired to carry politically important messages. He does very well for himself, but any amount of wealth he acquires he spends on friends. He knows the next day could be the day the wind tears him apart in a storm that's just too much for him. So he values his friends and family greatly. If he were a human, he'd be a hard partier, living each day to it's fullest.

Nym met Chickadee on one of her standard supply runs for her village, mid air. He was delivering a message at top speed, and nearly ran into Nym's courier party! He was responsible for the loss of some valuable goods they were carrying, and Nym was ready to let him have it, but she had to deliver what was left of their goods to the village. She found him there, taking a respite in a local "bar" (places where Alecani serve teas and food), and gave him an earful. Once he heard he had been responsible for the loss, however, Chickadee made up for it more than three fold. He was genuinely sorry, and his contribution to the village's stores of supplies more than made up for the loss he caused.

Cat (name pending)

This cat character has been rolling around in my head for a while. She belongs to a tribe of domestic cats that have a long standing good relationship with the Alecani as a whole. Perhaps one of their oldest allies! Domestic cats share in a lot of the same territories and pleasures as the Alecani do, and they have been cooperating on an individual and national level for as long as they can remember.

So this character is an engineer, so to speak. She started out as an apprentice for an air-carriage maker (like foot taxis for humans, but pulled by Alecani through the air). She has a deep desire to be able to fly like the Alecani can, and relishes any chance she gets to be in an air carriage. But being pulled along isn't enough for her, so she spends her spare time developing flying and gliding devices for cats. Along her story she pioneers devices which become standard to use in Cat society. Thankfully her master values her innovative mind, and he supports her strange side projects as long as she applies her creative mind to her job as well.

She is a dreamer, always looking to the sky and sometimes forgetting her earthly duties. She can be forgetful of things she deems not important to the creation of flying machines, she often disappoints her family in that respect. They give her a hard time about it. Sometimes it's hard to pull her away from her work.

Nym met her (like many of her friends) while on a supply run. The air carriage her troop was using was damaged and needed repairs, and they met at Cat's master's shop. Cat added some "interesting" things to their carriage while it was under repairs, but Nym and her team noticed how much easier it was to use it on the way back. It had been improved, not just repaired! Nym went back to visit the shop some days later to inquire about commissioning an item (haven't decided what it is yet) and ended up talking to Cat for a long time about the specifics. They got along great, and Nym wanted to observe some of the process. Nym turned out to be a great shop assistant, and when it was done they has become fast friends.

Cat develops items that let Nym tow her into the sky with ease, gliders built for cats to steer and use. Cat is also JUST small enough for Nym to be able to carry her in limited flight, so Alecani "saddles" are also developed, but not used with many other than Nym. Eventually (perhaps in her old age), Cat achieves a machine that allows her to have true self contained controllable flight.

I haven't done a lot of drawing for Teafeathers lately, but I did recently answer a bunch of questions about Nym and her world in my Tumblr. I thought it would be relevant to this sketchbook as well, since it's world building material!

~Are there any other creatures that inhabit your world? Anything that resembles a dragon, or a large cat?

Im just going to start typing answers to these, because sadly theyve really built up and I want to answer them!

In Nyms world, there are actually a lot of cats. The Alecani trade with a number of cat tribes, ranging from domestic feline colonies to lions and other wild cats. One of Nyms best friends is a domestic cat who lives in a colony that her village trades with on a regular basis. Nym is JUST big enough to be able to carry her friend during short flights, and that kitty has a passion to fly! Im still developing her as a character, so nothing drawn to show yet.

As for dragons, they do exist but they have passed into legend for the most part. I have always loved the idea of dragons being old creatures from a time before stories that are simply asleep or extinct. The few that are still alive are dormant. They do play a part in her story to a degree though!

~How do you take care of your feathers and fur?

Ive been thinking about this one since you asked it, and Ive come up with a few ideas! The Alecani must maintain their feathers much like a bird does, with natural oils and careful maintenance. But you dont want fur to get too oily and greasy, so the whole process of grooming is actually a pretty careful ordeal. Their little hands make it easier to groom themselves as carefully as they must, and their are even a number of grooming tools they use. They have a natural preening oil gland near the base of their tails, but also use a variety of other natural oils to preen their feathers when desired. Its like using a nice smelling lotion or soap!

Social grooming, like in monkeys, is a common way of creating social bonds with other Alecani. If you are only acquaintances with someone, there are less intimate ways of grooming that shows mutual cooperation with them. More intimate and thorough grooming is reserved for close friends and family members, as well as mates. Its not seen as a something sexual, just socially intimate to reaffirm close bonds.

What equates to Alecani spas for grooming/preening are VERY common. Think Japanese bath house with professional groomers/masseuse. You can choose different oil treatments for your feathers, and herbal treatments overall. You can get your feathers dyed, and pamper the heck out of yourself, or go in for a thorough practical grooming. Its common for social gatherings to end at a bath house, after a good long day of romping and getting filthy!

~How do you deal with the molting season?

This is linked to the previous post about grooming! Alecani molt their fur twice per year, and their feathers once per year. Fall and spring they grow appropriate coats for the changing season; thicker and fluffier in the fall to prepare for the winter, and thinner in the spring to prepare for summer heat.

Their feathers molt in spring, only once per year. This time is considered a time of renewal and life for most animals, and especially for the Alecani with such a great overall change. There are a number of traditions attached to Spring Molting season, including using molted feathers for decoration. In some tribes they gather all the molted feathers and burn them all when the season is over as a symbol of renewal.

A few biomes molt their feathers twice per year, if the environment they live in changes drastically during the winter. There are a few forest/mountain tribes that do this so their fur AND feathers are a paler color to blend with the snow. Most Alecani have the ability to do this if they move from to one of these harsh winter places. When they do, the first winter molt is really hard on them, as the severe change in the environment triggers the molt. If an Alecani is by themselves, molting during the harsh cold weather combined with the stress of the change can kill them. Seeing as how they are intensely social and empathic, this is very rare. Usually the first winter molt happens under the protection of the locals, who care for you till your winter fur/feathers are in. You are usually expected to repay them by staying with them during the winter to hunt/gather and assist in other village/tribe matters.

Heres a crop of a painting Ive been working on, on and off since my birthday back in February. Recently the only reason Ive had time to do anything with it is because a wonderful person paid me to put some hours into it like a commission. Theyre getting a high res file of the final painting when its done, also like a commission. But its wonderful to work on something for myself for once. Its been a long time since Ive done a full painting for myself!

This is the stage at which all the colors are laid down how I want them. Ive used various overlay and multiply layers to get the look I want, now all thats left is all the juicy fun details and clean-up! Of course that takes a while, so I have to set the painting aside again so I can work on more commissions. I hope to finish it after I cross all the icons off my list! Maybe in about a week if Im lucky and work hard. =)

I actually own that there mug! Its a lime green 20oz Chantel mug, very lovely. Its big even for me, so I figure in Nyms hands it would appear even bigger!

More stuff about my character Nym and her world (which I've dubbed Tea Feathers)! I've developed two new characters here, which will need some thorough explaination.

Nym's species (called the Alecani) have two methods of producing sound. Humans have a larynx (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larynx), and birds have a Syrinx (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrinx_%28bird_anatomy%29) to produce sound, both are located in different positions of the throat. Alecani have both, and can produce a huge variety of sounds using them. Like many bird species, their ability to copy the calls of other animals is almost perfect. With both a larynx and syrinx, they can produce more than one sound at a time, or produce a sound with their syrinx and modify it with the larynx. As a result, they can do really cool things like harmonize with themselves!

This duel voice is a key in the species ability to communicate with other creatures. It's not just about mimicry, they seek to be able to speak the language of other animals. Voice and song are also a key element of their culture. Being story teller or a singer is one of the highest status in Alecani society. Even in during conflicts between tribes, singers and story tellers are always given safe passage. Killing or bringing harm to singers/storytellers earns you permanent scorn, banishment, and with some tribes even execution.

Across the entire species, there is a position held as the best singer. Whoever holds this position in Alecani society is dubbed "The Harp" and is considered divine. She does not govern, but holds considerable cultural sway nonetheless. If you're a leader and The Harp makes a suggestion, you follow it or risk political suicide. The Harp is accompanied by a regiment of elite guards wherever they go, as well as servants. To serve The Harp is one of the highest callings of an Alecani, guards and servants are treated very well by others. The Harp has one guard/servant who is their closest confidant. This Alecani is dubbed the Harps Shadow, because their are always by The Harp's side. Both The Harp and their Shadow cast away names and any other previous life they may have had to serve this important position in Alecani Society.

In Nym's time, The Harp is a female albino Alecani. She is virtually blind, and so relies on her Shadow a lot more. Because of her blindness, she does not fly. She can, perhaps with guidance, glide short distances. So she travels by air carriage (which I haven't designed yet) which is drawn by several of her strongest flyers. She is notoriously quiet politically, and does not wish to meddle with the affairs of the tribes. She does not like to make demands of others around her, she seems very humble. Indeed, her only pleasure in life is to sing, and to sing with passion. It's said she has one of the most beautiful voices of any Harp in generations.

There are rumors that she and her Shadow are in love, which is sort of a no-no. The Harp is not allowed to have children, and neither is her Shadow. It might interfere with their duties, as well as create a "divine bloodline", which the Alecani try to avoid. Merit is based off what an individual can do, not bloodline. Good singers, good leaders, good warriors can come from any bloodline. And since these two hold what might be the highest position in society, the Alecani could not help but treat their children different than other children, to elevate them based off who their parents are.

While trying to make some new material for Tea Feathers I found some sketches I from November! They were drawn on the night my niece was born, thus the doodle of Nym greeting a new kitten with kisses. She's looking kind of squat in the top sketch, maybe she's sporting her winter fur?

I've been thinking a lot on her species biology lately, which I don't have any sketches for yet. But I want the Alecani to be at least a little believable. I don't want to go so overboard with them that I over think every single biological detail, and potentially set up road blocks for myself in world building. Having a little more than "winged dog" as the species descriptor will be nice though!

Maybe some sketches and idea for that next time I have some spare time.